Smiths Falls Treasurer Paul Dowber provided an update on how the Buy Ontario Act works.
The act encourages municipalities to give preference to Ontario and Canadian goods and services when awarding contracts.
For eligible infrastructure projects and fleet vehicle purchases, bidders may have to provide a Domestic Supply Chain Plan showing where their products and services originate, and the Town can use that information to favour local conten
Dowber said there’s a risk to the legislation – businesses increasing their fees knowing municipalities are obligated to buy Canadian.
He explained how the municipal scoring system is changing with the tender process.
That means council may be required to pay more money for a project if a price comes in at a higher price than the lowest bid, but has more Canadian products.
The province will be able to audit municipal procurements, requiring detailed record-keeping and documentation, while exceptions are allowed if local options are unavailable or would increase costs by about 25 per cent or more.
Council is legislated to add it the language to their procurement by-law.
